Page 54 of The Twelve Knots of Christmas
Glancing out the windows at the backyard, it was hard to judge, but since I didn’t stay with Lyla last night, I wanted to be there today. I stood from the stool I sat on and took a big chug of water to wash the cheese from my mouth. “Let’s take our sandwiches with us and get going now. I don’t want to miss visiting Miss Eloise today, and Lyla needs her injection of butter burgers.”
“Lyla and her butter burgers.” Balthazar chuckled and used a couple of paper towels to wrap up my sandwich and then his. “Text the guys and let them know we’re leaving.”
Nodding, I grabbed some more waters for the ride and made sure Artemis had everything she needed. I then texted Lucian and Jasper that we were headed to town. They both responded quickly with Lucian adding a heart at the end of ‘drive safely’ and Jasper sent a blowing kiss emoji saying he would warm up the bed for me.
To have this every day. These three men watching over me, flirting with me, bringing me to orgasmic heights I never thought possible. I had brief moments with them where it felt like it had always been this way. It felt so natural. But I was also keenly aware that this was only temporary. Once my heat was over, this whole thing was done.
And it hurt to think it would be. I never expected it to feel like I was stabbed in the heart, and that was only the thought of it ending.
It might go on a little longer if I stayed for Miss Eloise. That excited me more than it should. If I stayed to help take care of my housemother, I would lose the position waiting for me in California. I couldn’t go back to Blue Skies, so I’d have to find a job elsewhere, and there was nothing else in Wisconsin in my specific field.
As we loaded into Balthazar’s truck, I told myself I had to decide and decide very soon. The company who hired me deserved that respect if I decided not to go. I convinced myself that seeing Miss Eloise today would determine what I would do. If she was doing well, I’d go. If she needed me to stay to help her as she healed, then I’d do that.
But first step first, get to the hospital and see how she was for myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - Balthazar
The weather was fucking us over every which way. I’d thought ahead and put the chains on my tires, but there was no going around the eighteen-wheeler which had jack-knifed and blocked the main road. Then going west the long way around, one of the bridges was closed because it was too icy.
Mariska was sobbing as we pulled back up to the farmhouse because she couldn’t go see Eloise. I wasn’t going to tell her that we’d likely be snowed in all weekend, and that the surprise I arranged for her had gone sideways. I’d been texting with a few buddies in town to help out, and hopefully they could have the surprise brought out to us tomorrow if the storm stopped howling.
It would make her Christmas complete. And seeing my Omega in tears made me even more determined to make it happen. I would show her that I could take care of her, make her world perfect, in every single way.
I escorted her into the kitchen to warm her up with some homemade hot cocoa as she talked to Lyla. After she hung up, Mariska laid her head on her arms, wiping at her cheeks. “I’m such a bad friend.”
“You are not.” I made sure she was looking me in the eye when I said it. “You’re always putting others ahead of yourself. Besides, you can’t control the weather. I’m sure Lyla understands.”
“She says she’s fine, but she’s an extreme extrovert. She needs people around her. And to be alone around Christmas, that’s just extra cruel to her.” Mariska sniffled and reached beside her to pet Artemis who sat by her side with her head against Mariska’s leg.
I poured the steaming milk into mugs and slowly stirred in the melted chocolate. Topping it off with a dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon sugar, I set the cocoa in front of my Omega and walked around the island to hug her. “Lyla will be fine, and you’re going to be fine. Is it such a bad thing to be cooped up with me all day?” I kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear. “Whatever shall we do?”
It turned out that something was crying some more, checking the weather app every two minutes, and me purring her to sleep in the pack bed. I conked out with my Omega in my arms, dreaming of a life with her forever in my embrace and surrounded by all our beautiful babies in the bed.
When I woke a few hours later, it was to the sound of something scraping along the floor and the absence of Mariska beside me. I bolted into a sitting position and rubbed my eyes. “What the fuck?”
When my vision shed off the haziness of my dreams, I stared at my real life dream girl. She wore someone's thick black socks and my flannel shirt. That’s it.
And she was bent over positioning a chair at the other side of the room.
Holy fuck. I was hard in an instant.
“What are you doing, baby?”
Was that one of the recliners from the living room?
“I’m rearranging.” Mariska positioned the chair, stared at it for a few seconds, and then turned it to face the bed more. She was totally oblivious to her sexiness, which only made her hotter yet. “Making it more cozy in here.”
I peered around the room. The second recliner was here as well and a laptop was set up on a desk in the corner. Where did that even come from? The mini fridge we kept beside the hot tub outside in the summers was plugged in beside the desk andsnacks were piled on top of it. A half-empty package of bottled water was pushed off near the dresser.
The big fern from the downstairs hallway and the juniper from the dining room sat in one corner, and the dwarf Alberta spruce Lucian had in his bedroom was in the corner closest to the bed. Throw pillows from the couch and Jasper’s bed added pops of color along the top of the huge pack bed. And there was Claws, the giant teddy bear I’d had since I was a toddler, sitting on the dresser near the window.
When had she done all this and how did I not even wake up? Actually, the sweet little thing she was, the bigger question was, “How did you do all this?”
“What?” She turned and put her hands on her hips. “You don’t think I can move furniture on my own?”
All the way up the stairs? Nope. I raised a skeptical brow at her.
She sighed and confessed, “Okay. Lucian helped carry stuff in here. He’s downstairs with Jasper now helping with dinner. I’m thinking of painting a forest on the walls so it feels like we’re surrounded by cozy woods.”
